Dial illuminating means for telephones



March 15,I A1949. i 2,464,595

DIAL -ILLUMINTING MEANS FOR TELEPHONES A. N. MASABNY Filed July 30, 1947 ANTHONY N. MASABNY FIG- 3 /ITTORNEYJ Patented Mar. 15, 1949 DIAL ILLUMINATING MEANS FOR TELEPHONES Anthony N. Masabny, Allston, Mass. Application July 30, 1947, Serial No. 764,782

2 Claims.

This invention relatesto a device adapted to be attached to a dial telephone set for the purpose of illuminating the dial so that it can be easily read in the dark or in poorly illuminated places.

- One object of the invention is to provide a novel device for this purpose having electric bulbs for the illuminating elements and which is automatic in its action, in that when the receiver is on the hook, the light will be extinguished, but when the receiver is removed from the hook, the bulb or light element will be automatically lighted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dial illuminating device which is simple in construction and can be readily attached to or removed from any dial telephone instrument without making any change in the instrument itself.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention and the novel features thereof will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved lighting device showing it applied to a dial telephone.

Fig. 2 is a view of the bulbs and their sockets together with the control switch, these parts having been removed from the shell or casing of the device.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the wiring for the lights.

In the drawings a dial telephone instrument is shown in Fig. 1 in dot and dash lines, said instrument comprising the usual base I having the dial 2 and provided with a neck 3 which is formed at its upper end with a rest 4 for the receiver 5.

My improved lighting attachment comprises a casing or housing member 6 which may be made of plastic or any other suitable material and which is provided with two forwardly extending tubular light-receiving arms 1 which are spaced apart a distance to receive between them the neck 3 of the telephone stand. The casing 6 is formed with the front wall portion 8 which, when the device is attached to the telephone instrument, rests against the rear of the neck 3, the tubular lightreceiving arms 'I straddling the neck and projecting forwardly so that their front ends are directly over the upper edge of the dial 2 as best seen in Fig. 3.

The casing is retained in its operative position by means of a retaining member 9 which is pivotally mounted on one of the arms 'I .aS Shown at I0 2 and is detachably connected to the other arm 1, said retaining member being positioned directly in front of and in contact with the front face of the neck 3 of the instrument.

The retaining member 9 is formed at one end with an open slot I I which is adapted to embrace a screw I'2 carried by one of the arms 1 so that when the retainer is in position with the slot II embracing the screw I2 and the latter is tightened, said retainer will be clamped firmly in position thereby securely holding the casing in its operative position.

Situated within the casing 6 are two lamp sock-y ets I4 each carrying an electric light bulb I5 which is located within one of the arms 'I. The front end I6 of each arm I terminates at an angle as shown best in Fig. 3, and the bulbs I5 are located just inside the end of the arm and in position to direct light downwardly on to the dial. The forwardly projecting portion II of each arm acts as a shield to cut off the direct rays from the bulbs from the face of the user of the telephone.

The casing 6 is provided with a chamber` I8 in which is received a switch element I9 that controls the lighting circuit. Said switch I9 may be of any suitable or usual construction except that it is of that well known type provided with a button element 2|) by which the switch is actuated. The switch is also of that known type in which the button element is spring actuated and is normally held in its raised position by a springwithin the casing of the switch, the switch being 'closed when the button is in such raised position and being opened when the button is depressed.

My improved switch is also provided with a control element 2|' which is mounted on the casing 6 and is provided with a head portion 22 that is located underneath the receiver 5 when the latter is on its rest 4. The rear end of the control member 2| is shown as connected t0 the casing 6 by means of a stud 23 and said member is provided with a downwardly directed projection 24 adapted to engage the button 20 of the switch I9.

When the receiver is on the rest 4, it engages the head 22 of the control member 2| and the weight of the receiver depresses the control member 2l into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, thereby depressing the button 2D of the switch. A s sta-ted above, the switch is open when its button 20 ls depressed, and therefore, when the telephone is not in use, the circuit to the lamps will be open and the lamps will be extinguished.

When the receiver is removed from the hook, the spring-pressed button 20 will be elevated,

said spring being of sufcient strength to raise not only the button 20, but also the control element 2|. The switch will thus be automatically closed, thereby lighting the bulbs l5 which in turn illuminate the dial 2.

25 indicates a stud which extends through the top of the casing 6 and through the control member 2l and which is provided with a head on each end, the purpose of this stud 25 being to limit the upward movement of the control member when the receiver has been removed and also to cooperate with the stud 23 in holding the control member in proper position.

In wiring the lamps l5, I will preferably connect them in parallel so that if one bulb burns out, the other bulb will still be operative for illuminating the dial 2. The circuit wires leading to the bulbs are indicated at 26 and 27. The wire 21 goes to one terminal 28 of the switch and the other terminal 29 of the switch is connectedby one wire 30 to one of the lamp sockets and by another wire l3l to the other lamp socket, each socket being connected by a lead wire 32 to the circuit wire 26.

The casing or housing E. is shown .as being open at the back to provide access to the switch and to the lamp sockets, and the back isV closed by a removable rear plate 33 which may be held in position by suitable screws.

The device is simple in construction and may be quickly and easily attached to. any dial telephone set. To render the device operative, it isI only necessary to plug the terminal plug 318 into any convenient socket outletl The apparatus is then in condition for use and the lights will be automatically lighted when the telephone receiver is removed from its support ll and will be automatically extinguished when the receiver is replaced on the support.

I claim:

1. A dial illuminator for dial telephone sets. having a base carrying a dial and provided with a support for the combined receiver and transmitter, said illuminator comprising a housing member having two forwardly extending tubular arms, an electric light bulb mounted in each arm at the outer end thereof, means mounting of such a length that the front ends thereof are located in front of said neck and are situated immediately above the top edge of the dial thereby `placing the bulbs in position to illuminate the dial, means providing a ,circuit for said bulbs, an automatically closing switch for said circuit located within the housing, a switch actuating member mounted on the top of the housing and extending forwardly over the receiver support in a position to be engaged by the receiver when the latter is placed on the support, said switch actuating member having means to open the switch when it is engaged by the receiver resting on its support, the switch operating automatically to close the cirfcuit when the receiver is removed from its support.

2. A dialr illuminator for dial telephone sets having a base carrying a dial and provided with a support for the combined receiver and transmitter, said illuminator comprising a housing member of a shape to fit against the back of the neck portion of the base and having two forwardly extending ytubular arms adapted to straddle said neck portion, said arms being of a length to extend forwardly'of said neck portion suicently so that the ends thereof are directly over the top edge of the dial, a retaining member pivoted to one arm in front of the neck portion and detachably secured to the other arm, said retaining member serving to removably secure the housing in its operative position, an electric light bulb in the end of each arm situated to illuminate the dial, and means to light the bulbs when the receiver is removed from its support and to extinguish said bulbs when the receiver is replaced on the support.

ANTHONY N. MASABNY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATESy PATENTS 

